the guggenheim fellowship 2026

A Fellowship of exceptional individuals

The Guggenheim Fellowship offers support to exceptional individuals in pursuit of scholarship in any field of knowledge and creation in any art form, under the freest possible conditions.

For a century, Guggenheim Fellowships have helped artists, writers, scholars, and scientists at the highest levels of achievement pursue the work they were meant to do. Since our founding, we have supported over 19,000 Fellows.

We offer a uniquely broad mandate. In our work, we support Fellows in over 50 different fields, spanning four categories: creative arts, social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities.

The freest possible conditions

Fellows are at liberty to follow their ideas and chosen paths of study without expectation or constraint. “More than money goes with a Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation,” a Fellow wrote in 1941, “Unmistakably it carries, as an added gift, freedom of the spirit.”

The foundational premise of the Fellowship is grounded in free inquiry, original thought, and intellectual autonomy. We encourage exploration, pivots, and risk-taking. We trust Fellows to conduct the work they believe to be most meaningful. And because of this, we believe Fellows change the world.

Fellowships are awarded through an annual competition based on open applications. We encourage eligible individuals to apply.